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Sunday, 13 August 2017

Southmead Hospital (Bristol) To Panic Cull Foxes

I have messaged the hospital which seems to think an unwell fox will break in and attack and kill. Pest Control should be the very LAST people to contact as thet do not care if it might be a vixen looking for food for cubs or what season it is: they are only interested in the money.

Culling any and all foxes because one looks ill?? This is the year 2017 and there are groups like the National Fox Welfare Society who should be called first. Foxes have lived on Southmead Hospital grounds, that I know of from when I lived in Southmead, since the early 1970s.

A "cull" is knee jerk panic. Read the headline. Good to see people have protested the move.

This is the 21st Century and some pest controllers are far more dangerous than any ill fox.

A diseased fox has been seen loitering around the maternity wards at Bristol Southmead Hospital

A hospital in Bristol is considering culling foxes outside a maternity unit because they believe the animals could climb in through the windows and pose a threat to newborns.

Bristol Southmead Hospital announced last week that pest controllers would ‘remove’ the animals ‘to ensure the safety of mothers and babies.’

NHS managers said they had become aware of one animal in particular which looked diseased, and had been seen in public areas.

However the proposal has sparked an outcry from locals and conservationists who have set up a petition which has already attracted hundreds of signatures.

View photos

Bristol Southmead Hospital

The hospital said it had temporarily halted its plan and was consulting with animal groups.

"Foxes have lived peacefully on the site for a number of years,” a spokesman said. “However, recently we have had more sightings of foxes particularly around our maternity unit.

"To clarify, we contacted pest control because we are particularly concerned about one of the foxes who looks like it may be unwell. The fox has become bolder in behaviour and is being sighted more regularly in public areas.

"So far we have contacted some alternative animal welfare organisations and we are pausing all existing activity while we consider their recommendations."

Details of the initial cull were first announced on the hospital’s Facebook page, in a post which warned that many of the maternity unit’s windows were left open during the summer, and said there was a ‘potential risk of foxes entering the building.’

But within hours, people had complained about the plans.

Nikki Hamilton posted: "I love the NHS and will always defend to the hilt but not happy that exterminators are killing the foxes", while Caroline Littlewood said she was "appalled" by the plans.

Debbie Swatton added: “Shame on you Southmead Hospital and Carillion. I’m sure if you had sought advice from a wildlife sanctuary, such as Secret World or Badger Care Wildlife, they would have helped in a more caring way.”

The hospital said it was now looking at other ways to deter the animals and said it had not killed any foxes.

We have received a number of messages regarding foxes located near our Maternity unit and around our hospital site. We recognise that many people are concerned for the welfare of the foxes; however as a hospital our priority has to be the safety of our patients.

We are grateful for all the recommendations of animal welfare organisations who might be able to help and we will make contact with them for their advice on the most appropriate action to take.

While under normal circumstances we would endeavour to directly respond to all messages, unfortunately in this case we are unable to respond to every message. We hope this post goes somewhere in addressing any concerns or questions you have.

- UPDATE -

We have had a number of people asking whether we have shot any foxes. We can confirm that we have not killed any foxes.

Foxes have lived peacefully on the site for a number of years. However, recently we have had more sightings of foxes particularly around our Maternity unit. To clarify, we contacted pest control because we are particularly concerned about one of the foxes who looks like it may be unwell. The fox has become bolder in behaviour and is being sighted more regularly in public areas.

So far we have contacted some alternative animal welfare organisations and we are pausing all existing activity while we consider their recommendations. We have also taken advice from them on how to deter foxes in future; one of their suggestions is that people on site do not feed the foxes. We will be sending out messaging to staff, patients and the public with this advice.

- FURTHER UPDATE -

You may have seen that a petition was recently created in response to comments about a fox near our Maternity unit.

Please see below our response to the petition:

We understand that this is a very emotive issue and people feel very strongly about the welfare of foxes on our hospital site.

To provide reassurances we can confirm that no foxes have been killed or harmed at Southmead Hospital and we have no intention to.

We are not sure where the petition’s reference to two foxes being caught has come from, but this is not the case. Nor do we have any intention of culling foxes.

Action was taken after concerns were raised by senior nursing staff at the hospital about a particular fox near the maternity department. We would not have been doing our job as a healthcare provider if we had not responded to these concerns, even if the potential risk is low.

We have paused all action in response to the comments we have received and we have contacted The Fox Project and were redirected to Fox-A-Gon. We are awaiting more advice before taking further action.

In the meantime, we are advising staff not to feed foxes around the site.

We understand that the foxes on our site provide pleasure to some patients and visitors and have lived in harmony with them for many years. We hope to find a way of continuing to do so, while also ensuring we do what is in the interest of all our patients.

We thank everyone for their suggestions of alternative organisations who may be able to help us resolve this matter.